


A Night With Sidney

by ShewasXena



Category: Outcast (TV 2016)
Genre: Angst, Drinking, Slice of Life, Smoking
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-26
Updated: 2017-07-26
Packaged: 2018-12-07 08:10:25
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,619
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11619492
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ShewasXena/pseuds/ShewasXena
Summary: Even a demon needs a night off.





	A Night With Sidney

Sidney couldn’t sleep. Correction, he could never truly sleep, not since he came to Rome. Tonight was no different. He was restless, jittery, and Aaron was driving him up the wall. He’d been stuck with the kid for far too long now. Potential or not, he wasn’t exactly good company. It was around eleven o’clock when Sidney finally snapped and decided he needed to go for a drive.

Sneaking past a sleeping Aaron was no trouble. Sidney never had trouble skulking around. It was a talent he prided himself on.

He climbed into his car, shutting the door as quietly as he could. Then started her engines. As the car hummed to life; a sly smile moved across Sidney’s face. If there was one thing he loved in this world, it was his car. He glided his hands over the steering wheel and urged her forward. Leaving behind the stress of the merge and Aaron behind him.

The road was empty at this time of night. It always was in small towns. Sidney rolled down his windows letting in the evening air. He breathed a sigh of relief as the wind met his skin and tousled his hair. He then, quite languidly, flipped on the radio. The rambunctious twang of the blues cascaded loudly into the car.

Sidney listened for a moment, “Albert King,” he muttered.

His host had terrible taste in music before he came along but Sidney had changed that with a healthy consumption of jazz and blues. It occurred to him, with bitter realization, that his host had terrible taste in most things. But he remedied that in glorious fashion.

Sidney sped past the sign telling him he was, “Now Leaving Rome!” and to come back soon. He was well over the speed limit now and had no intention of slowing down. He started out with no destination in mind, but at some point between the barn and the outskirts of town, he decided he needed a drink. Rome was not the place to go to get a good drink. Sidney found that out the hard way. No, he would have to go to the next town over for the glass of whiskey he currently craved. He needed to get out of Rome anyway. It was getting a little too crowded for his liking.

The road wound through the forest not unlike a great serpent, Sidney noted. If he didn’t know any better he would have said it was symbolic.

The parking lot of the Blue Note jazz club was moderately packed when Sidney pulled up. It’s bright blue neon saxophone blinked on and off, reflecting off his car’s hood. He stepped out of his car, surveying his surroundings for anything suspicious; only seeing a couple fucking on the hood of a car in the far end of the lot. He frowned, shaking his head, then headed into the club.

The Blue Note was not what could be considered a “classy joint”. It was perpetually cloaked in a veil of smoke and smelled like it too. Much of the towns less than upstanding individuals spent their time at the club, drinking and heckling the musicians. But Sidney had taken a liking to the place.

“Back again are you?” the bartender, a stout man named Freddy, called as Sidney approached the bar.

“Wouldn’t have come back if knew you were going to be here.” Sidney said, leaning against the bar.

Freddy laughed, he had a cheerful infectious laugh that even got a slight chuckle from Sidney. “You’re too much, my man. Now what are you drinking?”

“My usual will be just fine, thank you.” Sidney said, demon or not he was still a polite southern man.

Freddy nodded with a beaming smile and went to work pouring a whiskey on the rocks. “So where’ve you been?”

Sidney raised a dark eyebrow. “Who wants to know?”

“Hey, just making conversation, it’s sort of my job.”

Sidney nodded. “I’ve been around.”

“It can’t be easy being on the road all the time. And just to sell dictionaries? Don’t know how you handle it.” Freddy slid the glass of whiskey over the bar.

Sidney took it. The ice clinking cheerfully as he pulled it closer to him. “I find ways to stay sane.” he said with a grin.

“Well I would certainly hope so.” Freddy said with a laugh. He looked over the club. “I think your booth is open.”

Sidney looked back toward the dark corner booth then back at Freddy. “So it is. I’ll be here for awhile so, keep these coming.”

“You got it.”

Sidney settled into his booth. Over time it had become his booth. He liked the comfortable darkness and the excellent view of the stage. Which, at the moment, was occupied by the small in-house band taking a break from a set. Sidney lifted his whiskey to his lips and drank. Savouring the sweet flavor and the burning sensation as it moved down his throat. He gently licked his lips as he set the glass back down on the table.

On stage, the band leader tapped his microphone. “We’re gonna get started up again, ladies and gentleman. We hope you enjoy.” And with that the band started to play. It was a smooth melody, the trumpet and clarinet competed for a solo, while the cello and drums supported the struggle.

Sidney’s foot tapped to the beat underneath the table as he took another drink of his whiskey. His mind turned to Kyle Barnes and the Reverend. He frowned. They were starting to really get on his nerves. Like the first drifts of snow that fall before an avalanche. An avalanche that would bury him if he wasn’t careful. He hadn’t expected this task to be easy. In fact he had expected the very worst. But he was about ready to tear his hair out if Barnes pulled what he did at the first sanctuary again. Or if someone else tried what the mayor did. Sidney scoffed and took a drink. He was a fool to rely on the mayor in the first place. He wasn’t dedicated enough. Too comfortable with his place in Rome. Sidney’s grip tightened on the glass, everyone one around him was too comfortable it seemed. And he was getting real tired of having to do all the dirty work. God forbid any of them get off their assses and acomplish something.

Sidney scratched at the stubble forming on his face. He was really beginning to regret letting the Reverend live. Of course, watching the whole town publicly shun him was a good move on his part and brought him great satisfaction, but the Reverend was getting nosy. Not to mention the fact that he burned up Sidney’s favorite hat.

He rubbed at his face again. He was also regretting wasting his straight razor on an old man’s throat. He found that store bought razors weren’t nearly as efficient as a straight edge.

Sidney peered down at his watch. He could just see the time in the darkness. His watch read, ‘12:15’, the night was still young. He raised his now empty glass, catching Freddy’s attention, who went to pour him another.

The band was playing a slow, dulcet, set now. Sidney couldn’t help but feel relaxed.He watched as Freddy moved across the room with his whiskey.

“You still owe me that cigar.” Sidney cajoled when Freddy finally arrived at the booth.

“Ah, you never forget a debt do you?” Freddy said. “I’ll be right back.” He went away and came back with a cigar box. “ Take your pick.” He said opening the box.

Sidney reached in and picked one out at random. Tucking it into his coat pocket. “Thank you, kindly.”

“No need to thank me.” Freddy said as he walked away. “You’re the one who won the bet!”

Sidney laughed returning his attention to the band. He’d save the cigar for later.

The night drew on and eventually Sidney switched from whiskey to coffee. The club was almost empty now. He checked his watch again, it read ‘1:55’. He knew he should go. A bit of him was apprehensive to leave. To go back to the idiocy of Rome. Against his better judgement he left his booth and went to pay off his tab.

“You take care now!” Freddy said with a wave as Sidney left.

“And you do the same.” He called back.

Sidney was back on the road by two o'clock. The gentle music of a piano crooning over the radio. He kept the windows down despite the chill, relishing the fresh air after several hours spent in smoke. The highway before him was lit by the moon. Though it didn’t make the road to Rome any less ominous.

His watch read ‘2:45’ as he pulled up to the barn. It loomed above him, full of expectations. He climbed out of the car. Stretching his long arms above his head. He wasn’t inclined to go back inside, not yet.

He reached into his coat and brought out his cigar. Then fished around in his pocket for his lighter. He put the cigar in his mouth and lit the thing. The lighters flame made his eyes look as if they were ablaze. He tucked it back in his pocket and gave the cigar a big puff. It wasn’t a bad cigar, but it wasn’t great either.Sidney leaned against his car, looking up at the stars. He breathed out a plume of smoke watching it slowly dissipate in the moonlight. All his worries were gone for the moment. Until he stepped into the damn barn, that is. He might as well savor this moment.


End file.
